COVID-19 cases grow to 1,307 in Bexar County; no new deaths reported

Nurses assist Dr. Charles Burch in the wipe-down process after performing an intubation on a patient in the Methodist Hospital Covid Unit. The unit is using ECMO which helps patients by filtering oxygen into their blood, on Thursday, April 23, 2020. Mayor Ron Nirenberg reported a modest increase in the number of novel coronavirus cases Tuesday of 32 cases for a total of 1,307 and no new deaths.

Photo: Bob Owen /San Antonio Express-News

The San Antonio area continues to see modest increases in COVID-19 cases, but there were no new deaths reported Tuesday and the number of people in the hospital remains stable, Mayor Ron Nirenberg said at the daily city-county briefing.

There were 32 new cases, pushing the total to 1,307, Nirenberg said. Of those, 574 have recovered, which accounts for 44 percent of all cases reported.

The death toll stood at 44.

The mayor said 56 people with the novel coronavirus were in the hospital, three fewer than Monday. Of those, 33 were in intensive case and 16 were on ventilators.

Nirenberg and County Judge Nelson Wolff once again urged area residents to maintain 6-foot social distancing and to wear face coverings when they’re out in public and can’t be sure of staying at least 6 feet away from others, especially as retail stores and restaurants start opening again under Gov. Greg Abbott’s new orders.

“We are very grateful for all the cooperation,” Nirenberg said. “It’s showing up in our numbers.”

Abbott is letting his stay-at-home order expire Thursday and will institute new directives Friday that allow retail stores, restaurants and movie theaters to open but only at 25 percent of their maximum capacities as determined by the fire marshal.

While numerous stores and restaurants plan to open for the weekend, none of the movie theaters in Bexar County will open Friday. Officials at all of the chains said it will take time to prepare their facilities to ensure the reduced capacity restriction will be met and proper health precautions can be taken.

The governor’s new order also allows museums and libraries to open, but none of the ones in the San Antonio area plan to do so this week.

Nirenberg stressed that health professionals have said the effects of social distancing are not seen immediately, and that the declines in the hospitalizations are because of the community’s efforts, and he said they must continue.

“As things begin to change and we start to enjoy more activities, it is critically important to take a look at the data on an hourly basis and a daily basis to ensure that we are going in the right direction,” he said.

At Bexar County’s jail, two more inmates tested positive for the COVID-19 virus for a total of 64.

Wolff said 41 inmates still have COVID-19. Five are in the hospital, and 1,150 are in the isolation unit out of a total jail population of 3,000. He added that the facility is in the process of securing more masks.

At the San Antonio Police Department, the number of sworn officers who have tested positive for the COVID-19 virus remains at six. The number of SAPD employees in quarantine has declined — only two sworn officers and three civilian employees were in isolation Tuesday.

The San Antonio Fire Department reported that 37 of its firefighters remain in quarantine, compared to 48 just four days ago. That means 11 more returned to work. Only six have tested positive for COVID-19 since the pandemic started.

Elizabeth Zavala is a reporter and editor on the Express-News Crime Team. Born and reared in San Antonio, she graduated from Fox Tech High School in 1981 and has been a newspaper journalist since she graduated from Texas Woman’s University at Denton in 1985. She has worked at five daily newspapers in Texas, including The Dallas Morning News, Fort Worth Star-Telegram and the Denton Record-Chronicle.